The number one cause of vehicle accidents in the United States is the result of distracted drivers. For example, drivers may be distracted for various reasons such as text messaging, grooming, talking to passengers, eating, etc.
Literature search shows that technology advances for safety/warning systems located in the car far exceed those positioned along the road. From a business perspective, one can understand this trend. Each car owner decides, based on his or her willingness to pay for safety-system accessories, while the development of a sensor-rich road requires the use of public funds and politics.
Consequently, safety-system advances continue to be added to cars. However, most safety-system advances have some type of handicap. For example, situational-sensors installed in the vehicle (e.g., cameras, LIDAR, etc.) must be used to ascertain the road terrain prior to sending a warning signal. The computation time required to conduct a road terrain analysis limits the response time even for such an automated system. Moreover, many of the situational-awareness systems become severely handicapped by snow, rain, dust, or if painted road markers have been scrubbed off due to wear and tear on the road.
Thus, a more efficient approach may be beneficial.